Synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 in toluene by a solvothermal route

A solvothermal synthetic method to TiO2 nanoparticles has been investigated in toluene solutions with titanium isopropoxide (TIP) as precursor. Weight ratios of precursor to solvent prepared in the mixture are 51100, 10/100, 20/100 30/100 and 40/100. At the weight ratio of 10/100, 20/100 and 30/100, TiO2 nanocrystalline particles were obtained after synthesis at 250degreesC for 3 h in an autoclave. X-ray diffraction and tranmission electron microscopy shows that the product has uniform anatase structure with average particle size below 20 nm. As the composition of TIP in the solution increases. the particle size of TiO2 powder tends to increase. At 51100 and 40/100, however, pale yellow colloidal solution is obtained after synthesis and crystalline phase of TiO2 is not produced. The specific surface area of the TiO2 nanocrystalline powder was also investigated using BET surface area analyzer. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.